Vaginal diaphragm



y 29, 1962 H. T. MILGROM ET AL 3,036,570

VAGINAL DIAPHRAGM Filed NOV. 17, 1960 May 29, 1962 H. T. MILGROM ET AL 3,036,570

3,@36,570 Patented May 29, 19%52 3,036,570 VAGINAL DIAPHRAGM Hyman T. Milgrom, 5428 N. Virginia Ave., (lhicago, Ill., and Walter J. Heuboski, 5331 Mulfred Ave., Skokie, ill. Filed Nov. 17, 1960, Ser. No. 70,014 Ciairns. (Cl. 128127) This invention relates to birth control devices, particularly vaginal diaphragms.

A vaginal diaphragm commonly comprises an imperforate cup-shaped member made of a thin rubber-like material having a round, somewhat stiff but resilient rim having a spring incorporated therein which maintains the shape of the diaphragm. Opposite sides of the rim are foldable together to form a compact diaphragm unit to facilitate the insertion thereof into the vagina. When the folded diaphragm is fully inserted within the vagina, release of the diaphragm establishes the round shape of the diaphragm rim which then makes sealing engagement with the inner walls of the diaphragm around the cervix which fits within the diaphragm. The seal formed by the rim prevents ingress of sperm cells into the cervical region. It is common to insert sperm-killing vaginal jellies into the diaphragm to add a further line of defense to the protection afforded by the diaphragm.

Not infrequently, the diaphragm is left in the vagina overnight, and the jelly in such case frequently becomes liquified and mixed with vaginal fluids which collect within the region enclosed by the diaphragm. Due to the construction of the diaphragms heretofore made and the manner of removal thereof from the vagina, the liquid jelly spills out of the vagina upon removal of the diaphragm. This condition is obviously an unsatisfactory one which, until the present invention, has not been alleviated by the vaginal diaphragms heretofore available.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a vaginal diaphragm with improved sealing characteristics. Another object of the invention is to provide a vaginal diaphragm wherein the liquids collected in the region sealed off by the diaphragm are collected and held within the diaphragm and in a manner where the diaphragm readily retains the collected liquids during removal thereof from the vagina. Still another object of the invention is to provide a vaginal diaphragm which provides both improved sealing characteristics and also the ability to retain the liquids above mentioned during removal of the diaphragm from the vagina. Still another object of the invention is to provide a diaphragm with the qualities just described which is of simple and economical construction and which is no more uncomfortable to manipulate or use than conventional vaginal diaphragms. Other objects or advantages, as well as the features of the present invention, will become apparent upon making reference to the specification to follow, the claims and the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vaginal diaphragm constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section through the diaphragm of FIG. 1, taken substantially along the line 2-2r thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the rim portion of the diaphragm of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the diaphragm in FIG. 1 in a folded condition, preparatory to insertion into the vagina;

FIG. 5 is a figure showing the normal position of a diaphragm within the vagina;

FIG. 6 is a greatly enlarged view of the inner end portion of the vagina showing the diaphragm of the present invention in sealing position around the cervix;

FIG. 7 is a transverse section through FIG. 6, taken substantially along the line 77; and

FIG. 8 is a transverse section through FIG. 6, taken substantially along the line 8-8.

The vaginal diaphragm of the invention. is generally indicated by reference numeral 1 and is similar to conventional vaginal diaphragms in having a cup-shaped body portion 2 made of a relatively thin, imperforate rubber or rubber-like material and a resilient, collapsible rim 4 including a fold of the peripheral portion of the body portion 2 around a spiral spring 8 or the like. The spring 8 gives the rim a stiffness to maintain the shape of the diaphragm, and a resiliency to enable opposite sides of the rims to be folded together as shown in FIG. 5 so that the diaphragm may be readily inserted into the vagina and then released to re-establish the shape of the diaphragm. The spring 8 may have hinged ends to facilitate the folding thereof as in the pessary rim disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,875,755, granted March 3, 1959.

In accordance with the present invention, there is associated with the rim 4 a thin, narrow, imperforate, radially inwardly extending annular wall 10 which may be formed integrally with the rest of the rubber material forming the body portion 2 and the outer portion of the rim 4. The annular wall 10 has a smooth outer surface in a plane recessed inwardly a small amount from the outer plane of the rim 4. This provides a small annular recess or pocket 12 for holding a layer of vaginal jelly. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention, however, the wall It) may be in the plane of the outer side of the rim 4. As illustrated, the narrow wall 10 blocks only a small portion of the diaphragm within the rim and defines the limits of an opening 13 into the cup shaped body of the diaphragm, but the wall has sufiicient width to form a liquid-retaining lip of sufficient depth to retain the liquids 14 which accumulate within the diaphragm as shown in FIG. 6. Thus, as illustrated, the annular wall is substantially narrower than one half the radius of the opening 13. As previously indicated, these liquids may include vaginal jelly which was initially applied to the inner surface of the diaphragm but which became liquified or dispersed in vaginal liquids due to prolonged insertion of the diaphragm within the vagina. The liquid-retaining function of the wall 10 enables the diaphragm to be removed from within the vagina without spillage of the liquid referred to.

In addition to its liquid-retaining function, the wall It also serves the very important purpose of increasing the sealing area of the diaphragm without interfering with the passage of the cervix into the cup-shaped body of the diaphragm. The outer surface of the wall 10 with or without the vaginal jelly 10' applied thereto makes seal ing engagement with the innermost wall of the vagina, as shown most clearly in FIGS. 6 and 8. When the diaphragm is inserted into its normal position within the vagina, the cervix extends into the opening 13 of the diaphragm at a point radially inwardly of the wall 10, as shown most clearly in FIG. 6.

It is apparent that the unique annular wall 10 associated with the rim 4 of the diaphragm is a relatively simple addition to the diaphragm which does not adversely affect the overall size, stiffness, resiliency or other characteristics of the diaphragm body.

What We claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a vaginal diaphragm comprising an imperforate cup-shaped member having a round somewhat stiff but resilient rim for making sealing engagement with the walls of the vagina and which is flexible to enable opposite sides of the rim to be folded to facilitate the insertion thereof into the vagina, the improvement comprising an imperforate flexible wall extending radially in wardly from said rim to form a surface which makes seal ing engagement with the inner end wall of the vagina, the inner margin of said Wall defining a cervix-receiving opening and said wall having a width substantially less than one half the span of said opening so that the cervix can readily pass into said cup-shaped member, and the flexibility thereof permitting the diaphragm rim to be folded in the normal manner for insertion into the vagina.

2. In a vaginal diaphragm comprising an imperforate cup-shaped member having a round somewhat stiff but resilient rim for making sealing engagement with the Walls of the vagina and which is flexible to enable opposite sides of the rim to be folded to facilitate the insertion thereof into the vagina, the improvement comprising a flexible liquid-retaining wall extending radially inwardly from said rim to form a liquid-retaining lip Which retains liquids within the diaphragm, to enable the removal of the diaphragm from the vagina Without spilling the liquid contents thereof, the inner margin of said wall defining a cervix-receiving opening and said wall having a width substantially less than one half the span of said opening so that the cervix can readily pass into said cup-shaped member, and the flexibility thereof permitting the diaphragm rim to be folded in the normal manner for insertion into the vagina.

3. In a vaginal diaphragm comprising an imperforate cup-shaped member having a round somewhat stiff but resilient rim for making sealing engagement with the walls of the vagina and which is flexible to enable opposite sides of the rim to be folded to facilitate the insertion thereof into the vagina, the improvement comprising a thin, narrow, imperforate flexible wall extending radially inwardly from said rim along the entire extent thereof in a plane generally parallel to but recessed inwardly a small amount from the outer plane of the rim, and the flexibility thereof permitting the diaphragm rim to be folded in the normal manner for insertion into the vagina.

4. In a vaginal diaphragm comprising an imperforate cup-shaped member having a round somewhat stiif but resilient rim for making sealing engagement with the walls of the vagina and which is flexible to enable opposite sides of the rim to be folded to facilitate the insertion thereof into the vagina, the improvement comprising a thin flexible wall extending radially inwardly from said rim, the inner margin of said wall defining a cervixreceiving opening and said wall having a width substantially less than one half the span of said opening so that the cervix can readily pass into said cup-shaped member, and the flexibility thereof permitting the diaphragm rim to be folded in the normal manner for insertion into the vagina.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,079,022 Martin May 4, 1937 

